Geno Saurer
The Geno Saurer (also written as Genosaurer) is a Tyrannosaurus type Zoid, one of over 200 species of fictional biomechanical lifeforms depicted by TOMY's Zoids model, toy, and media franchise. Based on the Death Saurer, the Geno Saurer plays a large role in several parts of the Battle Story, is the main antagonist's Zoid in the Chaotic Century anime and manga, and makes appearances in Guardian Force, New Century Zero, and Zoids: Fuzors. Overview The Geno Saurer is a Tyrannosaurus-type Zoid, created by the Guylos Empire, and used during the Helic-Guylos wars that occurred on Zi after the meteor strike of ZAC 2056. The Geno Saurer was one of the first new Zoids designed after the destruction of the third moon of Zi and the resulting meteor shower. The Zoid's design came about by scaling down the Death Saurer, and adapting its technology. Geno Saurers were the first Zoids to be equipped with the newly-developed Organoid System. This system, derived from technology found in an ancient ruin, enhances the Zoid's intelligence and abilities. The Geno Saurer is a very capable Zoid, being fast and agile, while also very well armed and armoured. The Zoid's main weapon is a Charged Particle Cannon, a derivative of the Death Saurer's main weapon. While smaller and less powerful than the older weapon, the Geno Saurer's cannon remains potent. The Zoid's only weakness is that it needs to be anchored and completely stationary in order to fire the CPC. Another problem is caused due to the massive heat generated by such a weapon, causing the weapon to only be able to fire once every couple of minutes. The thick tail of the Geno Saurer is covered with vents and filled with heat-sinks to partially compensate for this problem. It was seen in the anime that destroying the footlocks of the Geno Saurer (and by extension, the Geno Breaker) would render the Zoid incapable of firing its Charged Particle Cannon. In the anime and the games, the Geno Saurer (as well as the Geno Breaker) is depicted with an additional weapon. It is able to launch its hands on long, retractable cables like grappling hooks to grab and restrain Zoids at a distance, and pull them into its line of fire. In addition, these "grappling claws" can deliver an electric shock, though it loses the ability to shock opponents when it becomes the Geno Breaker. Battle Story appearances The Geno Saurer was developed in ZAC 2099 as an offshoot of the Guylos Empire's attempts to recreate the Death Saurer, combined with their research into the Organoid System. The Geno Saurer was entered into mass production and used as shock troops in the Western Continent War. The Geno Saurer was initially very effective, proving to be more than a match for any Zoid the Republic could field in terms of firepower and close range combat, as the Zoid had razor sharp claws easily capable of shredding armor. Initially, the Geno Saurer was near-unstoppable in battle. No shield (including perhaps the E-shield of the Shield Liger) could stop its Charged Particle Cannon. However, with the development of the Blade Liger, the Geno Saurer was suddenly outmatched. In response, the Guylos Empire created a newer Zoid, the Geno Breaker. However, the Geno Saurer was still considered effective and remained in service. Guylos Geno Saurers were amongst the first Zoids to face the Berserk Fury during the Eisen Dragoon coup, and were easily dispatched. When the Neo-Zenebas Empire took over the Guylos Empire, they inherited the few remaining Geno Saurers. However, they abandoned the design, finding it to be too "Guylos-like" for their tastes. Media appearances Anime Chaotic Century and Guardian Force The Geno Saurer first featured in Zoids: Chaotic Century. A unique Zoid, the Geno Saurer was "cloned" from the core of the Death Saurer, and was initially mistaken for one, causing Fiona to recoil in fear in a similar manner to when she first encounters the Death Saurer. The black and purple Zoid was given to Raven by Prozen, who used it to carry out his master's diabolical bidding. The first time Van and his friends encountered the Geno Saurer, it excelled in battle, completely and utterly overpowering both the Shield Liger and Command Wolf and very nearly killed them, but Rosso and Viola (piloting an Iron Kong at the time) pinned the Geno Saurer down long enough for them to escape before the Kong was destroyed. (Rosso and Viola survive the encounter.) Not long after, Van would face off against Raven again, and the battle results in the destruction of his Shield Liger and the near death of Van's Organoid, Zeke. Zeke, however, would resurrect the remains of the Shield Liger and transform it into the Blade Liger. Eventually, the Blade Liger's power would be tested in a final showdown against Raven's Geno Saurer. Though Van was doing noticeably better than before, the Geno Saurer still trumped the new Blade Liger. During this battle, Raven's own arrogance and rage proved to be his downfall as he attempted in desperation to fire his Charged Particle Cannon at point blank range. Van used the Blade Liger's Laser Blades to protect himself from the blast, before cutting through the CPC's emitter. Raven survived thanks to being bailed out by his Organoid, Shadow, moments before his Zoid exploded. Raven somehow acquired a second Geno Saurer in Zoids: Guardian Force, this one possessing red panelling instead of purple. Nearly immediately after acquiring it, it was evolved into the even more powerful Geno Breaker. Four more Geno Saurers were seen in Guardian Force. The first of these belonged to Reese, and was 'created from the Zoid gene elements of Raven's Geno Breaker'. It is different to the standard Geno Saurer, with a different nose turret and missile pods on its legs, but the most striking change was the blue colour scheme (this unique Zoid is referred as the Psycho Geno Saurer in supporting media). Reese's Geno Saurer was later destroyed by Hiltz and the Death Stinger, after Reese opposes Hiltz in order to save Raven's life. The other Geno Saurers fought against Raven's Geno Breaker during the final battle at Zoid Eve. These three Geno Saurers were black with red panelling, akin to Raven's second Geno Saurer. These were used to stall Raven so that Prozen could fuse with the Death Saurer. They nearly killed Raven because he did not have Shadow with him to help handle the Geno Breaker, but he managed to destroy them nonetheless, though not before losing one of his Geno Breaker's X-Breaker claws to one of the Geno Saurers' Charged Particle Cannons. New Century Zero A trio of Geno Saurers appeared in Zoids: New Century Zero, under the control of the Backdraft Group's Fuma Team. These Zoids were excavated from the same ruin as the Berserk Fury. The Zoids were later used against the Berserk Fury, but were effortlessly defeated by it. They were black and purple, the same colour as Raven's original Geno Saurer. In the New Century Zero dub, these Zoids were erroneously referred to as 'Geno Saurus', with the plural term similarly changed to 'Geno Sauruses'. Fuzors Several Geno Saurers appeared in Zoids: Fuzors. Unlike in the previous series, the Geno Saurers were depicted as being normal, albeit powerful, Zoids. The most notable one was piloted by Rotten Roger, one of the best pilots in the Zi-Fighter Championship. Roger's Geno Saurer was unusual in that it had yellow parts in place of the purple. Roger initially fought against RD in a rigged battle royal, but was defeated when RD's Zoid survived, and waded through a direct blast from his Zoid's Charged Particle Cannon. He would appear much later in the final battle against Alpha's Seismosaurus, where he and the other Battle Royale participants fight alongside RD. A flashback in episode 21 showed that Blake also used a Geno Saurer in his first battle against RD, only to have it seemingly destroyed by RD's Liger Zero. It was in fact Sandra who destroyed it, sabotaging it so that she could manipulate Blake into hating RD and, in turn, Mach Storm. Sandra later replaced it with his Berserk Fury. Blake's Geno Saurer, as well as a couple of others seen in the show, all had the regular black and purple colour scheme. Due to the consistently poor production standards of Fuzors, Blake's Geno Saurer is inconsistently shown to be both purple and yellow, the latter being due to a recycling of footage from when Rotten Roger fought RD earlier in the series. Another error relating to this Zoid is the fact that it is erroneously referred to as the Gairyuki, a completely unrelated Zoid that Blake pilots in the second half of Fuzors. Manga Chaotic Century Raven and his experimental Geno Saurer face off against Van in the sixth and seventh graphic novel volumes of the Chaotic Century manga, when Raven threatens to destroy the power-plant Zoid Wendeen. Under Raven's control, and while fused with Shadow, the Geno Saurer is powerful enough to take down a squadron of Pterases, Van’s Shield Liger, an elite trio of Saicurtis and Colonel Schubaltz’s Iron Kong in rapid succession. However, the Geno Saurer is defeated by the Blade Liger piloted by Van. This version of the Geno Saurer contains nine Zoid cores to withstand the limit-breaking effect of the Organoid Shadow. The power of the Geno Saurer is notably greater in the manga than it is in the anime, being depicted to leap hundreds of feet into the air in an instant, destroy entire mountains with its charged particle cannon, as well as fire its CPC from the air in a style reminiscent of the Geno Breaker. Video Games The Zoids Saga series of Game Boy Advance games features a series of Geno Saurer derivatives. These include the Geno Trooper, Proto Breaker, Proto Breaker II, Geno Scissors and Geno Flame. Image:Saga2_Geno_Trooper.png‎|Geno Trooper Image:Saga2_Proto_Breaker.png‎|Proto Breaker Image:Saga2_Geno_Scissors.png‎|Geno Scissors Image:Saga2_Geno_Flame.png‎|Geno Flame The Geno Saurer was also featured in the Zoids VS series. It played a moderate role in the Battle Mode of Zoids VS II (Zoids Battle Legends), where the player fights it in the 8th and 9th battles of the Chaotic Century / Guardian Force Battle Mode. There was also a Geno Saurer RT for the Rottiger team with higher stats than a normal Geno Saurer and a different color. Trading Cards The Geno Saurer was released with every Zoids Trading Cards release, with the exception of the Original Battle Card Game. Models New Japanese Release *Assembly required. (Snap-together, no glue needed. Scissors or X-acto knife recommended for trimming off excess plastic bits.) *The model's colours are moulded into the plastic, and it does not need any paint. The Zoid does feature some pre-painted parts. The Geno Saurer kit comes on ten frames, along with a battery-operated motor, two clear eye pieces, twenty-four rubber caps, and a label sheet. The Geno Saurer is moulded in black and purple, with grey claws and weapons. In addition, several painted details were present on the frames. Instead of a normal pilot figure, the Zoid came with two unpainted figures of Raven, one seated and one standing. The Zoid's features are somewhat reminiscent of the Death Saurer's, albeit scaled down. The entire kit was later recoloured and re-released with additions as the Geno Breaker. The Geno Saurer is one of the more complicated model kits in the Zoids line and is rather difficult to build. The Geno Saurer uses a pair of "AAA" sized batteries for motion. Once activated, the Zoid walks forwards with its arms waving, jaw snapping and the tail sweeping side to side. Additionally, a red light flashes on in the eyes. The Zoid is unusual in that the cockpit is mounted in the chest, not the head. TOMY also released an upgrade kit for the Geno Saurer, the CP-07 Cannonry Unit. Also used by the Molga and Heldigunner, the kit consists of a large, long-barrelled artillery cannon. The Shot Cannon replaces the Geno Saurer's standard back guns. The Geno Saurer was the first new Zoid designed for the New Japanese Release. The Geno Saurer was released in 2000, with production continuing semi-regularly until about 2004. Several chromed versions were released by Leoshop of Taiwan, and others by Tomy as contest prizes. Gachapon Minis The Geno Saurer was released with the first wave of Gachapon minis. Prototype T-Rex In November 1999, a cataloge produced by TOMY in a magazine, Corocoro, showed a prototype Genosaurer in Death Saurer colors called "T-Rex". This was done to preview some of the new Zoids that were planned for release in 2000, since 1998 was the Pre-Release time period of the NJR and 1999 was when some of the older Zoid designs were re-issued in new color schemes. This prototype is very unique, as it had moveable tail vents not found on the current design. For many years it was believed that the prototype shown here was lost, and would never be put into production. Many years later, the color scheme resurfaced, in a way, in the limited release of the Geno Breaker Jet. The color scheme of the Geno Breaker Jet is virtually identical to the prototype shown here, with the exception of the silver plating, which on the Jet, is red. This prototype's color scheme was also the inspiration for some of the Genosaurers that appeared in the Zoids Guardian Force anime. It is possible, in a sense, to recreate the prototype due to the similar color schemes the 2 zoids have and by using the parts included with the Geno Breaker Jet that allow one to build a recolored Geno Saurer (Which is a standard with all Geno Breakers), though it will not reproduce the original opening tail fins. In addition to the influence from the anime, this prototype is believed to have influenced the HMM Genosaurer Raven Version. New English Release The Geno Saurer was released in England by TOMY in 2003. This version was identical to the NJR version, save for the packaging. Oddly, the Charged Particle Cannon is called the Flame Thrower Cannon on the box. This might have been a mistake or translation error. The Geno Saurer was one of the last NER Zoids to be released. New American Release It is believed that the Geno Saurer was planned for the NAR line, but never saw a release. This is most likely due to the cancellation of the NAR line and the fact that the NAR Geno Breaker had the parts needed to make a red Geno Saurer, as do all other versions of the TOMY Geno Breaker. Clear Geno Saurer Another Geno Saurer variant, the Special Color Version Clear Black Geno Saurer (unofficially dubbed "Holotech" after Hasbro's partially translucent Zoids) was released by Toy's Dream Project in 2004. This version had the black frames replaced with clear charcoal grey, but retained all the painted details. Museum Geno Saurer A limited edition version of the Geno Saurer, popularly known as Bone Saurer among fans, was released in 2005 as an exclusive to the Ueno Museum's 'Dinosaur Expo 2005'. This version of the Geno Saurer was primarily bone-white, with dark coffee coloured parts, gunmetal weapons, and orange canopies. There were no differences in the model design. Geno Saurer Blox Released as a limited edition model with the Zoids Infinity EX Neo game for the Xbox 360, the Geno Saurer Blox is a small Blox Zoid. Including one frame of Unenlagia parts, enough components are included to produce either a standard Geno Saurer, or a black 'Psycho Geno Saurer'. Although a section of Battle Story is printed on the box, it is regarded by fans as non-canonical. High-end Master Model The fourth entry in Kotobukiya's popular High-end Master Model series of full-action plastic kits. This Tyrannosaurus-type Zoid comes molded in color, is faithfully detailed, and carries a twin long-range pulse laser rifle on its back, as well as a laser gun on its head. It measures 35cm long upon completion. A sheet of stickers is provided for custom markings. A second variant of the HMM Geno Saurer has been announced. The ''Geno Saurer Raven (Leyvin) Version '' will be recolored with red panels instead of purple, will include 2 pilot figures of Raven, one sitting and one standing, and a Shadow figure. In addition, the Zoid now has a new mold which allows the claws of the Zoid to be extended on a cable, like seen in the anime. According to the article where the Zoid was first announced (shown in the References section), the Zoid includes extra parts which allow for a more accurate pose represenbting the stance a Geno Saurer takes when using its Charged Particle Cannon. Other details such as price, release dates, design changes, extras (etc.) are currently unknown. References *http://img594.imageshack.us/i/hmmgenosaurravenleyvinv.jpg/ Category:Zoids Category:Tyrannosaur-Type Zoids Category:Guylos Empire Zoids